The Herald
by TolkienScribe
Summary: The era is changing, and it is time for the Eagles to leave Arda like the Elves. But the protectors of Arda need convincing. Oneshot. Complete. Part of the Green Leaves universe. Please read and review!


**The Herald**

 **Summary:** The era is changing, and it is time for the Eagles to leave Arda like the Elves. But the protectors of Arda need convincing.

 **Rating:** T for disturbing themes.

 **Disclaimer:** Not one Eagle.

All of my stories are interconnected unless stated otherwise but you do not have to read one to understand the other.

This one, however, is linked to my story "Winged Men".

My stories are now available in the form of a list in chronological sequence on my bio.

Enjoy!

 **~S~**

 _Arda,_

 _Unknown Age,_

He took in a deep breath, filling his lungs with cold, free air. The wind blew wildly against him, ruffling his golden feathers.

"It is time," his companion said quietly. He did not need to raise his voice to make him heard; the wind carried his voice for him. "Manwë invites you to Aman, to live in peace."

Gwaihir inclined his head, watching the Maia with a single bright golden eye. Eönwë reminded many people of the Eagles under Manwë's command. His features were harsh, and his sharp straight nose was likened to a beak. His face was grim and his jawline was strong. His skin was tanned the colour of cooked auger the Men liked to call 'caramel'. His eyes were bright and the colour of light amber. His hair was long, till his waist and bound in a single braid down his back. Feathers were woven into his hair, gifts from the Eagles who loved him dearly. He was also dressed in variable shades of gold and brown, the colours complimenting his skin and figure. When he donned his armour, he seemed very much like an Eagle in the form of a Maia, predatory and dangerous.

"Have we disappointed him in some way in our service?" Gwaihir countered. Eönwë shook his head immediately in answer.

"Your service was exemplary." Eönwë said. "But he does not wish undue harm to those under his command. The Race of Men has changed and times are now different. You were friends once, but now they look upon you and your kind with fear. It is best to leave before they bring you harm."

"We have been here since the beginning of Time," Gwaihir countered. "We faced nothing more than we were capable of controlling. I do not think they will harm us any more than we can manage."

"You do not know these Men," Eönwë warned. "They are harsh and cruel, with superstitions blinding them from reason and wisdom. The Men who looked upon your kind with hope and friendship are long gone."

Gwaihir only shook his head, his large curved beak glinting in the sunlight. Eönwë sighed.

"I have warned you not once but many times. But I cannot change your mind. I just pray you do not find out the truth in some cruel form."

But Gwaihir found out in the cruelest fashion.

One of his comrades went missing and was found two weeks later in the form of decaying corpse.

He never realised it before, but Eönwë was truthful. The Eagle was ensnared by the sight of a fresh herd the Men had freed on a plain. And while the Eagle descended upon the prey, they waited, with catapults to launch nets of rope that were as thick as a man's fist and inlaid with mithril they stole from Dwarven Halls long forgotten. When he was caught and helpless, they killed him with spears inlaid with silver and mithril. After he was dead, they sawed off his wings with the tools they used to fell trees and plucked his feathers to sell in the markets. They stripped his meat off his bones and left the organs as they were until the entire area was filled with the stench of decaying flesh and coagulating blood.

Grief was a terrible teacher. The chief of the Eagles, Thorondur, bade his subjects to remain as close to the eyries as possible. Some sought revenge and searched high and low for the ones responsible. They found the men came from a nearby village. In the dead of the night, the Eagles swooped down and dropped large rocks on their huts and tore through their crops to ruin their fields and left.

It was then Thorondur decided it was time to leave. Men and Eagles could not live together in the new Age.

When Eönwë met Gwaihir again, Gwaihir's heart was heavy.

"It is time, I think," Gwaihir said. "We must leave this world behind." Eönwë stood in front of him in sympathetic silence.

"Perhaps they are not worth protecting." Gwaihir continued. There was bitterness in the esteemed Eagle's voice. "They have changed, Eönwë. Men have become corrupted at heart. They find new devices to torture their captives, new ways to kill their enemies. They plot and plan to benefit themselves but it is only temporary. In a matter of few years, they gain nothing."

"They are good ones." Eönwë countered. "Wise ones. Generous ones. Incorruptible hearts. That is why they survive. Else the Race of Men would have destroyed themselves by now."

Gwaihir crouched a little, cocking his head to the side so that one eye remained fixed on Eönwë in contemplative stare.

"You are too soft. Too forgiving. One would think you would have learned after the Dark Lord." Gwaihir remarked, skeptic. Eönwë's pleasant expression faltered. A shadow swept across his face.

"Forgive me," Gwaihir said after a pause. "I spoke out of turn. This event has left me bitter."

"It does not matter." Eönwë returned. He hesitated, as if he wanted to say more but then decided against it.

Gwaihir inclined his head and dipped it once before unfurling his large winds. Eönwë's figure was cast into cool shadow when a wing spread over him. Gwaihir leaped into the air, leaving Eönwë alone on the mountaintop.

The Eagles circled once over their eyries as if in farewell to their home. And then they dipped their wings only once before flying away. He watched them as they approached the horizon.

"To home and a warm bed," Eönwë remarked softly to himself, laughing lightly. Those were the same words that every traveller from old Gondor uttered before turning home. He turned his gaze towards the Sea, the glitter of sunlight over the blue flickering surface visible to his eyes.

"And to peace and comfort."

 **~S~**

 **Author's Note:**

Yet another piece with Eagles.

Now, there is no record of when Eagles left for Aman, or if they even left at all. I expect that some stayed behind, but most left. Personally I would place their departure long after the Shadow War.

As far as Eönwë's connection to Sauron is concerned, I like to think they were companions at least.


End file.
